Machine for applying closures to bottles.



No. 779,991. PATENTED JAN.10, 1905. I'L GOALE @L L. S. G REENSFELDER. MACHNE FOR APPLYING GLQSURES T() BOTTLES.

APPLIGATION FILED J'UNE10,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l,

No. 779,991. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905i.

QUALE L L. S. GREENSFELUER.

MAGHINB FOR APPLYING GLGSURES TG BOTTLES.

AIPLIOATION FILED JUNE 10,1904.'

Patented January 10, 1905.

" arnnrr Denies,

IVICHINE FOR APPLYING CLOSURES TO BOTTLES.

.SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,99 1, dated January 10, 1905.

Application led June 10, 1904. Serial No. 212.035.

To all wil/0771. it may con/cern.'

Be it known that we, HARvnY COALE and LnwIs S. GRnnNsFELDnR, citizens of the United States, residing at No. 1511 Guilford avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Applying'- Closures to Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

Our said improvements relate to machines for applying or setting' bottle-closures, and especially the well -known "Crown corkstoppers; and the objects of our invention are, in part, to provide a comparatively inexpensive hand-operating machine which will enable the application of closures to appropriate bottles with practical eiiiciency and uniformity, a minimun liability of bottlebreakage, and which can be readily adjusted for varied service and safely operated by inexperienced persons, and even by children, this latter consideration being' specially desirable in families wherein such beverages as root-beer, cider, Sac., are produced for home consumption.

While all of our present improvements have special value in machines of the character indicated, some of the novel features are applicable to closure-setting machines of thelarger and more expensive varieties.

The several features of our invention after being duly described will be specially designated in the several clauses of claim hereunto annexed.

I/Vith a detailed description of our invention we will refer to the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which- Figure 1 illustrates one of our machines in front elevation and adapted to be mounted for service (as by screws` bolts, or clamps) upon the wall of aroom or other suitable support. Fig. 2 illustrates the same in side view, the hand-lever (in both figures) being shown as broken away not far from its pivot. Fig. 3 is a lateral sectional view of our novel Crown cap holder. Figs. 4 and 5 are central vertical sectional views illustrating' the interior-of the cap-holder, thecap-setting tool, j a bottle, and 'a cap, these latter being lirst in for centering bottles with relation to the setting-tool. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the frame and bottle-gage, appropriate solid and dotted lines in Figs. 6 and 7 indicating variations in adjustment for gaging bottles of dii- `ferent sizes.

Our machine is provided with a frame-plate A, affording suitable projections, lugs, or brackets for supporting various parts and having' suitable provision for attachment to a wall or other available surfae-as, for instance, as indicated, countersunk holes for screws or bolts. At the foot of the frameplate there is a bottle-support B, consisting' of a bracket surn'lounted by sheet-rubber or other suitable material for cushioning bottles. At the top of the frame-plate there is a slotted lug a, serving as a pintle-base for a hand-lever C, which is limited in its upward swinging movementto the position indicated. This hand-lever is of suitable length to enable the intended work to be easily performed as aresult oi downwardly forcing a cross-head D, which is coupled to the lever and is guided in its vertical movement by its two side sleeves 7), which freely slide on guide-rods c c, mounted in brackets on the frameplate. The erosshead is adapted to receive and carry any suitable closure-setting tool, it being ehambered and provided with a thumbscrew CZ.

The hand-lever (l is coupled to the crosshead by a link E,'whieh is pintled to the head permanently or otherwise; but it should be so pintled to the hand-lever as to admit of a variation between the head and the pintle connection with the lever to provide for applying closures to bottles differing in height. This longitudinal adjustment of the link is afforded by a series of pintle-seats in the link, and if said seats be simple holes the pintle of the lever should be readily removable to admit of its insertionthrough another hole in the link and such construction would involve no departure from certain features of our invention.

For avoiding liability of loss or misplacement of the pintle, as well as for more specially and easily changing adjustment, we have provided for making the lever-pintle c practically immovable, as by riveting, and instead of pintle-holes we employ seats f, appropriately spaced and each being at the bottom of a slot, which is open or gated at the rear edge of the link, as fully indicated. As shown, three of the seats are provided for operating upon bottles of different height-say pints, half-pints, and quarts. For maintaining the cross-head normally at the height of each of its adjustments and with the lever elevated and its pintle held to its seat the head is spring mounted, preferably upon two springs, as shown, each loosely inclosing a guide-rod beneath its appropriate head-sleeve The springs g g rest upon collars /i L, slidable on the guide-rods and fixedly adjustable thereon, so that by variably locating the springs the cross-head may be normally held just above the particular size of bottlel to be operated upon and so that in forcing the cross-head downwardly from either of its normal positions the springs will offer a uniform resistance and have ample power to lift the cross-head andlever, as well as to release a setting-tool from an applied closure on a bottle.

l/Vhile the collars L might be provided with clamp screws or bolts without departure from certain features of our invention, it is important in machines for the service intended that detachable parts be avoided and that no eXtra tools, such as wrenches or screw-drivers, will be needed for making adjustments, and to those ends we provide the collars 7L with cams e', which are in lever form and enable the spring adjustments to be promptly and easily made and also enable both springs to be set simultaneously, it being only necessary to lift the collars and then slightly depress the lever-arms of the cams. The contactfaces of the rods may be provided with appropriately-located depressions, as indicated, to serve as aids to a prompt accurate adjustment, although we do not limit ourselves in this respect, and the collars may be locked readily at points above or below the depressions.

It will be readily understood that the crosshead can carry any form of closure-setting tool, although but one form is illustrated, that being adapted to operate in bending the flange of the well-known Crown bottle-cap. This flange-bending tool or l cone-die is like and operates as the corresponding tool disclosed in United States Letters Patent to iVilliam Painter, No. 473,776, dated April 26, 1892. The setting-tool F here shown is provided with a shank which enters the chatnbered cross-head and is clamped therein by the thumb-screw (Z. The front side of the tool is eoncaved at q, Figs. and Li, as shown, to afford space forathumb or linger when introducing a cap.

It is a matter of importance in all cappingmachines that caps should be accurately presented with reference to the setting-tool and to a bottle ready to be capped, and several forms of cap-holders for that service were disclosed in said patent. 1We have devised ay cap-holder which is simple and effective for the purpose and have guarded against misuse of the setting-tool and a consequent liability of bottle-breakage at the hands of inexperienced persons. Our cap-holder G is located below the setting-tool and has a partiallycylindrical chamber in line with said tool. A cap-supporting ledge K within said chamber is adapted to receive and hold a cap with its top side up and in proper registration with the axial line of the setting-tool and also with a properly-located bottle, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4. The mouth or lateral entra-nce Gr" of the cap-holder is of proper height toreceive a cap; but it is narrower at its top than at the bottom and wide enough to freely receive a cap laterally, provided it is always right (or top) side up and with its iiangc edge resting upon the ledge K, thus precluding a careless delivery of a cap to the setting-tool, as would be liable by inexperienced persons, For facilitating the proper feeding of caps the holder is provided with an exterior supporting and guiding plate l, which is or may be integral with the holder, so as to project frontwise of the mouth and in a plane corresponding to the bearing-surface of the ledge K, it being obvious that for performing its functions the ledge needs only to evenly support a cap at two opposite sides and that the opening upward into the holder need only be of such dimensions and form as will freely permit a bottle-head to enter and thereafter to be withdrawn with a cap locked thereon, as indicated in Figs, t and 5.

Should the machine be manipulated by a meddler, a liability would exist of the settingtool being forced upon a cap and a bottle without effecting a union and then to leave the cap wedged into the setting-tool, so that' the next attempted use by a competent operator (not knowing of the wedged cap) would result in a further wedging of another cap, with liability of breaking a bottle-head. For obviating such results the setting-tool is provided with a sight-hole mf, opening inwardly from the front to a point adjacent to the working surface of the setting-tool, thus enabling an operator at a glance to see if the tool is free from obstruction, the open interior of the tool-shank and cross-head usually affording ample light for sighting the bright metal of a cap in the tool.

With machines of this general character a skilled operator may do fairly good service without the aid. of a gage or guide for accu- IOO IOS

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rately centering bottles on the support B with relation to the setting-tool.

In the patent hereinbefore referred to such gages were disclosed, and they are specially needful in small machines. The bottle-gage H here shown is a novelty and is well adapted for small machines, in that no tools are required for effecting changes and no parts are detachable and liable to be mislaid, specially when constructed in its best form. This gage H is particularly shown in Figs. 6 and 7, wherein its form and variations in adjustment are clearly indicated. Like some prior bottie-gages, this is forked, it having' arms a fn,- but it is unlike any other known to us, in that these arms are pivoted at the rear of their junction to a suitable slotted slug or ear o above and rearward of the bottle-support on the frame-plate. Being' thus pivoted. the gage may be set either horizontal or inclined upwardly or downwardly` each position being suited for gaging a bottle of a certain diameter--as, for instance, the upward inclination will serve for quart bottles, the horizontal position for half-pints, and the downward inclination for pints, the arms of the gag'e being' appropriately shaped to afford desirable contact-surfaces for the dii'erent sizes. In Figs. 6 and 7 the gage is shown as set for pints, (also in Figs. l and 2,) the quart and half-pint bottles being indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 6 and 7.

Any means for clamping' or confining' the gage in desired positions may be employed without departure from certain features of our invention; but the means here shown are specially desirable because of simplicity and effectiveness and also on account of its fixed or permanent attachment to the frame. As clearly indicated, the shank of the gage is squared at its end with relation to each of the three positions of adjustment, and a vertical slidable locking-wedge I is arranged to tightly engage with either of the squared surfaces for confining' the gage at the corresponding adjustment. The wedge at its lower or small end is provided with one or more lateral studs Y72, as indicated, so that although the wedge may be freely lifted and lowered it cannot be displaced, because the studs project Abeyond the walls of the slot in the lug o. In assembling the wedge is first inserted, then the shank of the gage and the pintle, this being preferably slightly riveted for permanently securing the gage against displacement.

It should be readily understood that in operating the machine a bottle of the size to be capped is placed upon the support B and properly gaged in position. The hand-lever is then coupled to the link at the proper pivotseat. The two springs are so set as to maintain the setting-tool and the holder slightly above the top of the bottle and with the handlever elevated. A cap is then placed within the holder and the yhand-lever depressed until the cap has been properly locked to the bottle, this operation assuring an appropriate sealing compression to the usual packing within the cap upon the lip of the bottle.

That we claim isl. In a machine for applying closures to bottles, the combination of a bottle-support, a cross-head adapted to carry a closure-setting tool, a hand-lever and a longitud inally-adjustable link for coupling the lever and head and varying the working' position of the head, with relation to the bottle-support according to the height of bottle to be operated upon, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for applying' closures to bottles, the combination of a spring-supported cross-head adapted to carry a closure-setting' tool, a hand-levcr, coupled to the ci'oss-head by a longitudinallyadjustable link, and a bottlesupport, substantially as described.

3. In amachine for applying' closures to bottles, the combination of a bottle-support, a cross-head adapted to carry a closure-setting tool and adjustably spring-mounted for nor m ally maintaining the head at different heights above the bottle-support, a hand-level' and a longitudinally-adjustable link coupling the hand-lever and cross-head, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for applying closures to bottles, the combination with a crosshead adapted to carry a closure-setting tool, of a handlever` and a link coupled to the head and provided with a series of open slotted seats for receiving a pintle on the lever, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for applying bottle-closures, the combination of a cross-head slidable on guide-rods, springs on said rods for supporting the head, and collars on the rods serving as bases for the springs and provided with cams for clamping them to the rods and variably locating the height of the crosshead, substantially as described.

6. Inamachineforapplyingbottle-closures, the combination with a cap-flange bending or setting' tool, of a cap-holder secured to and below said tool and having an opening' exposed at one side for the placing' of the cap in position below the tool by hand, said holder being' provided with an interior fixed ledge and having' a central aperture appropriately smaller` than the greatest diameter of an unset cap, substantially as described.

7. In a machine for applying' the bottle-closures, the combination of a cap-setting tool and a cap-holder having an opening exposed at one side and provided with an interior capsupporting ledg'e, a central aperture below the tool smaller than an unset cap and an exposed guiding-table in front of the side opening' or mouth upon which a cap may be placed and fed inwardly by hand to and upon the ledge, substantially as described.

8. In a machine for applying' bottle-closures,

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the combination substantially as described of a setting-tool and a cap-holder having an exposed lateral opening or mouth, which is Wider at the bottom than at the top and is of appropriate height to freely receive a Crown cap, the said varied lateral dimensions being such as to preclude the entry of a cap except in proper position for the operation of the setting-tool, said lateral opening permitting the holder to be fed directly by hand.

9. In a machine for applying bottle-closures, the combination with appropriate operating mechanism, of a cap-setting tool, provided With a sight-hole substantially as described for enabling an operator to see Whether or not the tool is occupied by an obstructive cap.

lO. In a machine for applying bottle-closures, the combination With appropriate mechanism and a bottle-sup port, of a forked bottle- HARVEY COALE. LEWIS S. GREENSFELDER.

lVitnesses:

A. A. MolLvArN, A. H. SCHULZ, Jr. 

